The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-02-23
CAPTAIN JOE's VENGEANCE.
The Fearful Price 10 Frontiersman Exactod
for His Comrades Death.
w. O.,

"Just before Custer made his famous
Wichita campaign against the red
skins, says Captain Joe Smith of Kan
sas, II was hunting and trapping on
the Cimmaron River, on the line of the
Indian Territory. There were three of
us, my partners being named Hank
White and Lew Benson, respectively,
and brave, good men they were. We
were about ready to pack up and get
out of the hunting grounds when White
accidentally fired bullet into his hip,
and we found ourselves forced to lie
we're but not a dangerous wound, and
it was likely that in about a fortnight
he would be able to move. The In
dams lad not bothered us any to speak
of up to this time; but now, as If to
add to the perplexities of our situation,
the devils seemed to be overrunning
the neighborhood. We had a camp
which was well-nigh impregnable to
attack, and the towards contented
themselves with lurking about and
seeking to cut one or the other of us
off without exposing themselves.
was fired upon twice in one day, and
next day Benson got bullet through
his cap.
While we had ceased trapping one of
us must do more or less hunting to
supply the camp, and only one could
go out at a time. White was little bet
ter than helpless, and we dared not
leave him alone. His wound was rap
idly improving at the end of ten days,
and we were feeling sauguine that he
could use his leg in another ten, when
| went out one morning after meat.
Game had become scarce and shy in
our immediate vicinity, and l made
iaunt of about six miles up the river to
reach some wooded bottom lands. 1t
was mid afternoon before / returned,
having the headquarters of doe and a
fine turkey. 1 took the usual precau-
tions when approaching camp, but met
with no alarm until / entered it. Then
L found White dead and scalped and
and brutally dishgured, Benson MISS
ing, and all our traps and peltries and
other property gone. The Indians had
been there. L was so taken aback that
it was some minutes before / could act.
Then / went out to scour for their
trail and seek evidenceas to whether
Benson had been carried off or muir
dered. L was circling about the place
when L heard voice family calling,
and entered thicket about eighty rods
from camp, to find Benson living on the
ground in his blood; he had been
wounded in three places. He was hard
" better than dead man, and it was
in whispers that he told me the story.
| had been gone about two hours and
L. no - g. h. -
water, when he was fired upon and six
Indians dashed at him. Benson had
Henry rife in his hand and he freed
and returned the fire, killing one Of
the Indians. They were between him
and the camp, and while two of them
held him at bay the other three went
in and killed White, and packed up
the property. Benson could not ex-
pose himself nor could he pursue when
they drew off. Had they hungered for
his life they could easily have taken it,
but they seemed satisfied with what
they had accomplished. The man
didn't live an hour after relating the
particulars, and L went down on my
knees by his dead body and swore to
revenge my comrades.
"A month later twenty men of us
pioneers, hunters, Indian fighters and
scouts-banded together to hustle q
band of five or six redskins who had
captured and run off some horses from
q couple of ranches lying between the
South Fork of the Platte and the North
Fork of the Niobrara Rivers. They
had full days start, but their cap
| tured animals were obstinate and I'M
ruly, and they made but slow progress
l had been elected Captain of the band
and about shutdown of the first day.
| knowing pretty we'll the route the In
dams must take for the next two, 1
called in some of the oldest scouts for
consultation. The result was that
we planned short cut, and rode all
night and until noon next day to make
sure work of it. Then one took a po-
sition in dry run bordering the edge
of narrow valley through which the
Indians were expected, and every man
saw that his firearms were in order.
| We had over two hours to arrange the
details, and when the savages finally
| appeared in sight we were gratified to
discover that the band we had first
pursued had been strengthened along
the route by others. There were now
thirteen redskins. We were stationed
along the run about four feet apart,
and it was understood that not a shot
was to be fired until the head of the
band was fairly abreast of the head of
our line. 1t seemed too bad that there
were not inst twenty Indians, so as to
give us man for man, but that was a
matter we couldn't improve on.
"They came into the valley without
the slightest suspicion of our presence.
The herd was driving better, causing no
trouble, and some of the Indians seemed
to be asleep as they logged along. As
they rode in close order their line did
not exceed ours in length, and every
one was fair target as we got the
signal and fired upon them. Nine of
them keeled off their saddles as dead
as bricks, while the other four were
wounded and were dispatched by Sec
ond shots. Not one of them was alive
two minutes after the first trigger was
pulled, and as / rolled the body of the
/, leader under my foot 1 felt that poor
White and Benson might sleep better
in their lonely graves.